INNSBRUCK, Austria – Medical University Innsbruck is the first center in Austria to begin treating patients with Elekta's Versa HD™, a radiation therapy system equipped with advanced beam-shaping and high dose rate technologies to deliver extremely precise treatments in shorter treatment times. Since January 14, the clinic has put 55 new patients on the Versa HD schedule and is averaging 23 treatments per day, mostly for challenging cases, such as patients with small tumors in the brain and lung.

"The dose rate we're currently using with Versa HD is a factor of up to three times higher than that of the other treatment machines we use here, which helps keep treatment times reasonable in complex cases," says Medical University Innsbruck physicist Paul Eichberger. "For beam shaping, the Agility(TM) multileaf collimator also provides greater precision and its fast leaf speeds increase delivery speed. In addition, because we can conform more closely to the tumor margins with Agility, we find we can increase the dose to the tumor while decreasing side effects - all within a standard treatment time."

Once the full potential of Versa HD is leveraged, the system will treat about 40 patients per day, he adds. With the speed and precision of Versa HD, the use of more targeted stereotactic radiation therapy for cranial and body tumors will increase.

Increased confidence with Identify
Medical University Innsbruck is also the first in Austria to use Elekta's Identify™ radiofrequency identification (RFID) system with Versa HD. From the moment the patient enters the CT or treatment room, Identify positively verifies the right patient and their accessory equipment. Through integration with Elekta's MOSAIQ® Oncology Information System, it gives cancer care professionals confidence by ensuring the right treatment accessories are used for each patient's treatment. The key to Identify is advanced RFID technology, which automates the identification of the patient and accessories and provides independent verification.

"We began using Identify recently with Versa HD, and it significantly increases our confidence in patient set-up," Eichberger says.

About Elekta
Elekta is a human care company pioneering significant innovations and clinical solutions for treating cancer and brain disorders. The company develops sophisticated, state-of-the-art tools and treatment planning systems for radiation therapy, radiosurgery and brachytherapy, as well as workflow enhancing software systems across the spectrum of cancer care. Stretching the boundaries of science and technology, providing intelligent and resource-efficient solutions that offer confidence to both health care providers and patients, Elekta aims to improve, prolong and even save patient lives.

Today, Elekta solutions in oncology and neurosurgery are used in over 6,000 hospitals worldwide. Elekta employs around 3,500 employees globally. The corporate headquarters is located in Stockholm, Sweden, and the company is listed on the Nordic Exchange under the ticker STO: EKTAB. Website: www.elekta.com.